Interactive Chart in Excel

Creating Excel Interactive Chart

Charts visuals are better to tell the story and everyone knows it but interactivity is what required with the chart to tell the story even better. Interactivity is nothing but when the user should be able to see certain values in the excel chart. They should be able to see that result when they click the button. For example, if the chart is showing “Sales & Cost” values and if the user wants to see the “Profit” chart then if they click on the “Profit” option they should see the chart accordingly.

Examples to Create Interactive Chart in Excel

Example #1

For example, we have monthly sales values as shown below.

Instead of seeing all the month’s values in the column chart we want to see single month values and if we click on the forward button we should keep seeing the next month’s values in the chart. Follow the below steps to create an interactive chart.

Step 1: Copy the above data table and paste like the below image.

Step 2: Below that create a similar template but without values.

Step 3: Under the DEVELOPER tab click on “Insert” and choose “Scroll Bar”.

Next make the incremental change as 1, because whenever we click on the forward button it should change by 1, make “Page Change” as zero and give a cell link as A6. Click on “Ok” to close out that window.

Step 8: Now click on the forward button of the scroll bar and see the value in A9 cell.

I have clicked on “Forward Button” of Scroll bar three times and in cell A9 we have a value of 3.

Step 9: Similarly, if you click on the backward button it will reduce by 1 every time.

Step 10: Now in the B5 cell apply IF condition as shown below.

Let me explain the formula for you.

Formula says “if A6 value (which is increased or decreased by scroll bar moment) is less than or equal to 1 then we need the value from B2 cell (Jan Sales Value) or else we need “#N/A” error value.

Similarly, change the formula for “Feb” month as shown below.

Since “Feb” is the second month we need the value from “Feb” month cell (C2 cell) only when the scroll bar cell value is >=2, as of now scroll bar cell value (A6 cell) is 1, so the formula has returned “#N/A” error value.

Step 11:Like this change the numbers for each month.

Because the scroll bar value is 12 we have all the months’ sales value.

Example #2

Below this creates a replica of the table from the above table but deletes numbers.

Now apply the formula as shown below.

Like this change the numbers for each region.

Formula says if the drop-down cell value is equal to the respective region in this table then we need that region values from the above table.

For this chart create a line chart and format it as you need.

We get the following line chart.

Now this chart will show values of the region as per the selection made from the drop-down list.

I have selected the “West” region from the drop-down list and the chart is showing only that region values across years.

Things to Remember here

Excel Interactive charts require advanced Excel skills.

Interactive charts demand data restructuring.

Use form controls to make the chart interactive.

Use the pivot charts and slicers to create an easy interactive graph in excel.

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This has been a guide to an interactive chart in excel. Here we discuss how to create an interactive graph in excel with examples and downloadable excel template. You can learn more from the following articles –